The Map of My Dead Pilots : The Dangerous Game of Flying in Alaska Paperback - 2013

The Map of My Dead Pilots is about flying, pilots, and Alaska, a place where aviation has come to be synonymous with the myths and legends of the Last Frontier. Colleen Mondor spent four years running dispatch operations for a Fairbanks-based commuter and charter airline--and she knows all too well the gap between the romance and reality of small plane piloting in the wildest territory of the United States. From overloaded aircraft and wings covered in ice to flying sled dogs and dead bodies, commercial piloting in Alaska is about living hard and working harder.Ultimately, it is the pilots themselves--drawn to the career for reasons ranging from desperation to cool-handed professionalism--who capture her imagination. From the cockpit to the bar to long hours spent at the "Company," Mondor brings to light the camaraderie it takes to stay sane at a job that demands all your heart and soul and never truly lets you go. In fine detail, Mondor reveals the all-too-casual nature of aircraft accidents, the tragic history of Alaskan flying, and a world that demands a close communion with extreme physical danger and emotional toughness.The Map of My Dead Pilots is an engrossing narrative whose gritty, no-holds-barred style is reminiscent of the works of Ken Kesey and Tim O'Brien.